May 23rd’s Random Boxing Rants

So Manny Pacquiao refused the fight in 2010, and one of the reasons cited was a fear of needles, but now the complaint is that he wasn’t allowed to have an injection 90 mins. prior to the first bell? The irony.

Freddie Roach said countless times that Mayweather’s legs were “shot” & that he had refined a gameplan over the years to beat him, only to accuse Mayweather of “running” post-fight. The shameless irony.

Can anybody imagine the earth-shattering hate that would have befallen the already widely-despised Mayweather had he lost in one-sided fashion, only to claim that he won, while simultaneously blaming the loss on an injury?!

We’ll never know just how serious Pacquiao’s injury was, and if pulling out of the fight when it flared up in training would have forced a cancellation due to the necessity of surgery, or whether the fight could simply have been rescheduled for July or so after the shoulder had been given a rest (after all, Pacquiao’s camp have said that the shoulder had been a recurrent problem since at least 2010).

Certainly, the immediate post-fight shoulder surgery that Pacquiao has undergone is a smart PR move, whether it was strictly urgent or not.

I expect a rematch, unnecessary from a competitive sporting standpoint but still the most lucrative fight in boxing, to happen next year.

Rematch or not, and whatever anyone thinks about the excitment factor of the contest itself, we finally have our answer: Mayweather is the best boxer of his generation.

* I wonder if Al Haymon will allow Deontay Wilder anywhere near mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin, after he blew away Mike Perez in a round yesterday.

Povetkin’s Russian backers are one of the few who can outbid Haymon’s hedge fund in a purse bid scenario.

* Incidentally, it’s sad to see Mike Perez’s career fading away.

A textbook case of a talented Cuban defector who hates training.

* A pity to see the end of ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights series, which is being replaced by one of Al Haymon’s PBC time-buys.

But what about Yuriorkis Gamboa’s doping regimen, also designed by Bosch?

Is anybody in boxing ever going to investigate this?

* Despite Frank Warren’s best efforts, Saunders-Eubank Jr. II has fallen apart due to unsurprisingly unreasonable demands from the Eubank side regarding the interim trinket he picked up in his last fight.

6 thoughts on “May 23rd’s Random Boxing Rants”

If he has to fight once more, I’d much rather see Mayweather in a farewell clinic with Brook or Thurman, though it’s academic, really. Have you seen this tete-a-tete with Pauli? Great quips by the fans, too:

And on a Pauli theme, this is undoubtedly the worst Keith Thurman would ever look against the Brooklynite. A cautionary tale for all who’d try to out-mouth the mouth:

Povotkin vs. Wilder looks rather more interesting now, doesn’t it? Taking nothing away from the impressive Russian, the Perez who showed up isn’t the same fighter who battled Mago. It’s a husk.

Surprising move by Eubank Jr., but maybe they’ve had a dose of reality in the jodhpur palace! He can’t be ready for Saunders based on his puzzling for nearly ten rounds over how to beat the tough yet one-dimensional Chudinov. A few more top 20 opponents first before he rules the world, ha ha. How about Marco Antonio Rubio while working up to a young peer like Willie Monroe Jr.? If the latter fight were made today, I’d be tempted to pick the American.

While I’m on record as saying I’d favour Eubank whenever fight #2 happens, I think you’re probably correct in assuming that the real reason they’re making it impossible to sign the rematch at this stage is some cold feet about the outcome.

Certainly a second loss to Saunders at this stage would be very damaging. Also, it can be a much bigger fight down the road on Sky PPV than it is now on Boxnation. Rubio would be good fodder at this stage for Eubank.

Povetkin was hugely impressive. You may be right after all about him taking out Wilder. Perez is done near the top level and it’s a pity.

Yes, I have seen that. An amusing exchange. Paulie delighted that Mayweather won him a lot of $$ in bets and Mayweather loving the ass-kissing he’s getting. Paulie is long-winded but does some good work on tv, in my opinion. He should retire at this point from in-ring action though.

Agree about the overdue retirement. In part due to your recommendation, I’ve tuned in and come to very much enjoy his Showtime commentary. Lately, I’ve been going through the last couple of years’ worth of fights by Thurman, where Paulie’s commentary shines. The Thurman-Chaves duel is a treat, clearly a formative battle against a grueling competitor that paid off later in the Guerrero bust-up (where an improved Thurman suffered much less than against the Argentine mauler).

Turning to Billy Joe, TBH I’d prefer to see him in with Andy Lee. Where Lee is concerned, I don’t reckon Saunders presents a more severe technical problem to him than did Quillin, do you? Busier, surely, but smarter? And where Saunders’ whiskers are concerned, Eubank Jr. was making him look woozy in the later rounds; Lee surely must hit harder.